Mexican Main Dishes

🇲🇽 Mexico

Mexican Main Dish Recipes

From rich mole draped over chicken to slow-roasted pork tacos, explore the entrées that define Mexico's deep, complex culinary heritage.

Chile Relleno Cochinita Pibil Carnitas Carne Asada Tacos +14
18 main dishes, each with a recipe ↓
📖 See the Full Roundup: Best Mexican Food: 64 Traditional Dishes You Need to Try →
Mexican main dishes range from painstaking, centuries-old sauces to quick, smoky grilled meats — a culinary tradition shaped by Indigenous, Spanish, and regional influences found in nearly every corner of the country.
Tacos al Pastor
Mexico's Most Famous Taco

Tacos al Pastor

Pork marinated in achiote and chiles, stacked on a trompo and shaved to order with pineapple, onion and cilantro. The taco that defines Mexico City.

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More Mexican Main Dishes to Try

Chile Relleno
Chile Relleno
Poblano pepper stuffed & battered
Cochinita Pibil
Cochinita Pibil
Achiote-marinated, slow-roasted pulled pork
Carnitas
Carnitas
Mexico's beloved braised, crispy pulled pork
Carne Asada Tacos
Carne Asada Tacos
Grilled steak tacos, smoky & simple
Birria
Birria
Slow-braised beef or goat in a rich chile adobo
Pozole Rojo
Pozole Rojo
Hominy and pork stew in a deep red chile broth
Chiles en Nogada
Chiles en Nogada
Poblanos stuffed with picadillo under a walnut cream sauce and pomegranate, the colors of the Mexican flag.
Barbacoa
Barbacoa
Lamb or beef slow-cooked in maguey leaves until it falls apart, served with consomé and tortillas.
Chicken Tinga
Chicken Tinga
Shredded chicken in a smoky chipotle-tomato sauce, the filling for tostadas, tacos and tortas.
Mole Negro
Mole Negro
Oaxaca's darkest mole: charred chiles, chocolate and dozens of ingredients simmered into one sauce.
Poc Chuc
Poc Chuc
Yucatán's citrus-marinated grilled pork, served with pickled onion and charred tomato salsa.
Arrachera
Arrachera
Marinated skirt steak grilled hot and fast, the cut behind northern Mexico's best tacos.
Chile Colorado
Chile Colorado
Beef braised in a deep red sauce of dried guajillo and ancho chiles, a northern classic.
Alambre
Alambre
Sizzling skillet of beef, bacon, peppers and onion under melted cheese, scooped into tortillas.
Enchiladas Rojas
Enchiladas Rojas
Corn tortillas dipped in red chile sauce, rolled around chicken and finished with crema and queso fresco.
Enchiladas Suizas
Enchiladas Suizas
The creamy version: tomatillo sauce enriched with cream and melted cheese over chicken enchiladas.
Mole Poblano
Mole Poblano
Puebla's national sauce of dried chiles, chocolate, nuts and spices, simmered for hours over turkey or chicken.

A Guide to Mexican Main Dishes

Mexico's main dishes are slow-cooked meats and long-simmered sauces. Mole poblano is the chile-and-chocolate sauce over turkey or chicken, birria is the Jalisco goat or beef stew that became a taco craze, and carnitas and cochinita pibil are the two great pork dishes, one fried in lard in Michoacán, the other achiote-marinated and pit-roasted in the Yucatán. Chile relleno, carne asada and pozole rojo cover the rest of the week.

Start with the recipes above, then see the full roundup of 64 traditional Mexican dishes, or explore all Mexican food and recipes from across Latin America and Spain. Soup lovers should also browse Mexican soups and stews.

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Explore our complete roundup, or browse all Mexican food guides and recipes.

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